Over the past six months, we’ve seen what can be considered the most significant rise in sexual assault cases in the history of the USA. Between the allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein, USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, actors Kevin Spacey and James Franco, and former NBC Today anchor Matt Lauer, it is safe to say that the time for a massive cultural shift has arrived.
But before we get into the Time’s Up movement, I would like to start out by saying not all men. It is understandable that in a year where the male gender is taking the biggest hit for what has been an ongoing problem for decades, the innocent and genuine guys out there might feel a bit attacked, and rightly so. So to the good ones — keep doing what you’re doing. Also, this is not about you.
If you watched the Golden Globes this past January, you might have noticed that women and men were wearing black in support of Time’s Up. This movement is in direct response to #MeToo and is aimed at raising awareness of sexual assault/harassment and in equality in the workplace. It is a long time coming, and it does not seem to be going anywhere.
It’s crazy to think that most of us believe that America is such a progressive country. In many ways, this is true. But for every step forward we take, it seems like we take 100 steps back, at least as of late. Women are still not paid as much as their male counterparts, racism is still prominent, violence is a part of our everyday life, and our president seems to be on another planet.
Starting with allegations against Bill Cosby, this movement toward uncovering the truth of sexual harassment has been ongoing and painstakingly slow. There has been a lot of digging and uncovering of these horrible truths, with the most recent being the sentencing of 100+ years of Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted over 160 underage athletes, including decorated Olympians McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Jordyn Weiber. What’s so horrible about this case is that USA Gymnastics covered it up for years. I could believe the disgusting abandonment of these victims was accidental or even unintentional if it was one or two athletes coming forward, not more than 160. They messed up, and women suffered for it. And now, Larry Nassar is in jail, and women are still suffering because he should have been there a long time ago.
As someone who has always believed in gender equity, I’ll never understand why in 2018 women are not paid equally as much as men. It was always boggle my mind that certain men think they can get away with sexually harassing women. There will never be a moment where I think it makes sense that men thing what a women is wearing is equal to them begging for it. Will there ever be a time where men don’t take advantage of their power?
The answer is yes. Because for a long time, women put up with it. But now we are tired. And those with a voice have spoken. And as Oprah said: “A new day is on the horizon”. This time, men who are guilty won’t get away with it. This time we are fighting. And I can almost guarantee you that we’ll win. The time is actually up on sexual harassment. I refuse to teach my future daughter(s) to be afraid. First, we must get rid of the double standard. Only then will we begin to see our culture shift. The support of men in this movement sends us forward, while the continuing influx of allegations send us back.
One day, we will never have to look back. This is the moment where we are free.
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